October 2016 Update

I've been neglecting updating lately, things haven't changed much, so there hasn't been too much to say lately. I'm still in a holding pattern. My headaches are still occuring daily with not much change, my vision is stable and no new issues have come up. I had my annual MRI done yesterday and will be seeing my doctors soon for my regular round of visits.  I have added a nuerologist to list of doctors, and she has started me on a new medication in the hopes of reducing the headaches.

Torpiramate: Topiramate is classed as an antiepileptic medicine. It is usually used to prevent seizures in people with epilepsy and there is another leaflet called Topiramate for epilepsy which gives more information about this. However, topiramate has also been found to prevent migraine attacks from occurring. When used for migraine, it may not completely stop every migraine attack, but the number and severity of attacks are often reduced.  Patient Info on Torpiramate 

I am really dealing with the side effects of this medication! Tingles, pins and needles, my hands and feet constantly feel like they have fallen asleep, though it has improved compared to when I first started on the medication.  Initially, my extremities had a constant vibrating sensation. I can't think of any other way to describe it, now I only get the sensation when I move certain ways or if I'm extremely tired or cold which is certainly an improvement.

I just got a reminder on my Facebook feed.. 2 years ago today, I was recovering from my most recent surgery.  I had just had my second shunt placed, so I have come a long way in that regards. 

October 2014 - Shunt placement incision

I haven't been making as many cakes lately, I just haven't had the energy of course, I have been dealing with the seasonal back to school cold and sinus stuff which seems worse than normal this year, and I find they just don't get eaten when I do make them, though I will be doing some baking this coming week, Rachel turns 7 next week, and our niece will be a year old! Will post them up when done :) 

Speaking of Rachel, her riding lessons have continued and she is making huge improvements! She is off the lunge line and riding around the arena at a trot with ease, sometimes with a little more courage than we are entirely comfortable seeing!

Rachel trotting during her lesson 

I have started going back in for regular massage appointments! Just a little shout out here to Massage Addict in Brantford! I go in once a month for a massage to help ease the tension in my neck and back created from the vision and neck and does it help!! I've been sharing my story with my therapist and word of my blog is getting out there.

Just a reminder for anyone who is checking this blog out for the first time to be sure to go back to the beginning and read from the first post.

Hobby wise, I've gotten back into playing the Sims to kill time. Currently, I've been checking out The Sims 4.  It gets mixed reviews, but I don't have too many complaints so far.  If anyone is interested, I've been blogging my game (one reason I haven't had as much activity here I guess) My Sims 4 Blog and have been creating some walkthroughs and keeping my web skills up a little.  

Family, Cakes and Dentist...

Added 2 new cakes to the Piece of Cake page. (Recent cakes are added to the bottom of the page..)

Both of my sisters ended up with late cakes this year. Mandee got a giant carrot cake cupcake with butter cream icing for her 26th, and Tara got a butter pecan with cream cheese layer cake, decorated with the character symbol for Sailor Mercury from the anime series Sailor Moon for her 27th.


Rachel is growing up way too fast! She lost her first tooth this weekend.  It's been loose since the early part of June so it took a while.  She's of course thrilled that the tooth fairy visited!

Rachel lost her first tooth this weekend

Danyael (pronounced Daniel)

Catelynn loves the new doll house!

Speaking of kids growing up fast!  We went to London ON on Saturday with my mother and youngest sister to see Tara and her little ones.  Danyael is almost 6 months and has grown up so much already! Catelynn is 2 and a  half and had a great time playing with her cousin Rachel with a little people doll house Rachel has outgrown.

Rachel with Catelynn.

I have a dental appointment tomorrow which I am not looking forward to it at all! I've always had issues with dental stuff, but I don't have much choice anymore.  Three teeth have cracked and broken due to the prednisone and my rheumatologist wants to start me on a bone builder. Before he will prescribe the medication, I have to be cleared by the dentist that no extractions or dental surgery is required.  I've been taking vitamin D with the prednisone and Imuran, but I guess it's not enough and my teeth are being affected by insufficient calcium absorption.

Apointment and more

I had my regular appointment with Dr Rodriguez on Wednesday. Visual Field Test results were pretty consistent with previous tests, showing no further vision loss at this time. An examination of my eyes showed no papilledema, which he is happy with as it indicates the pressure hasn't gotten too high yet.  I was of course advised to call him for an immediate appointment if I have any changes in my vision.

Based on my stay in the hospital back at the beginning of May, and the lack of follow up with a neuro-surgeon my next visit will be in approximately 2 months instead of the usual 4.  He is also going to try getting me in with someone to follow up on the tied shunt and increasing pressure.

Rachel has been away since Saturday. She went to Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls with her cousins and grand parents, then up to her Aunt's place in Innisfil. She comes home Saturday or Sunday.  Instead of enjoying the peace and quiet, I decide it's time to redo her bedroom. Big changes in the look of her room.  It started out with the typical mess a 5 year old can have.  Toys out of place and just generally over run with too much stuff. I weeded out the toys that she has outgrown and put everything back in it's place.

Before

After

I made some changes to the wall hangings and finally got her Frozen curtains in place. We also added some purple vinyl to the panels of her bed and flipped it over (Kura loft bed from Ikea) and created a reading nook under the bed with her bookcase and old crib mattress. I think the end result looks pretty good, and I can't wait for her to get home and see it!  My only regret in redoing her room was the fact that I have started wearing a Fitbit Flex that was given to me by my good friend Barb.  I didn't think to put it on until after I had finished working on Rachel's room! All that activity that didn't get tracked!

While the following isn't IIH related, it does demonstrate that anyone can have a bad day!. This is a true story of something that happened to my older daughter Krystal while at work one day.

Krystal  - ok so basically here's the run down in "pretty terms". Its really bad/Sad xD 

On my last break, needed to use the bathroom in all ways. Went into the stall and did my business and realized - no paper - 

I had left all means of contact (Tablet and phone) in the lunch room so i probably just sat there a good 5-10 minutes doing the shake/drip dry but i couldn't just leave it like that due to the business at hand. 

I pulled up enough that i was covered (thankfully i was wearing my work apron) but not enough that i was going to touch my underwear. I shimmed into another stall but half way to a lady walked into the bathroom XD 

I informed her the stall was out of paper and was grabbing a handful. She informed me she needed the higher toilet so i apologized; handed her the ball of TP i had just grabbed and quickly locked myself into the other stall trying hard not to laugh while she did her business. 

I waited till she was gone, Cleaned up and quickly left the bathroom to finish my break in a fit of giggles. xD 

Yep True story! Note to self; ALWAYS take a phone into the bathroom then i could have texted my manager to bring TP into the bathroom to refill instead of having been nearly caught with my pants around my hips. Thank god for Aprons xD

I can only hope that she wasn't the one responsible for washroom maintenance that day at work!

Glasses part 2

So..I decided to shop around a bit as I wasn't completely happy with the glasses I picked out last weekend. I still have a few days before I can finalize my choices as the insurance company doesn't make exceptions, even in cases where eye exams are required annually.

Sears has a special going right now.



So I decided to see what they have to offer.

I ended up picking 2 pairs for less than my original choice, with anti glare treatment. The pair on the right have a slight purple tint to the frames, picked for me by my daughter Rachel.

Rachel had another lesson tonight, this time on Bailey, who happened to be the first horse she rode.

Rachel leading Bailey in for her lesson

Lost in Limbo?

The past few weeks have left me feeling like I've been lost in limbo, uncertainties in both eye care and neurological care seem to be raising their heads.

When I was in hospital last month, I discovered that my neuro-surgeon was on leave and a follow up was scheduled with one of the senior staff from the neurological department. My appointment was booked for June 18th at Neuroscience Ambulatory Clinic (NAC) in Hamilton.  While driving with Robert to Hamilton, I received a call advising me that the neuro-surgeon had been called into the OR and I wasn't going to be seeing him. There also appears to be some confusion about who I should actually be seeing. The doctor I was scheduled with wasn't the one who performed my most recent procedure and I should probably be examined by the one who tied off my shunt. They would get back to me with a new appointment, possibly with a different doctor. So far, I haven't had a return call on that one.

I booked an eye exam for the 23rd. It has been 2 years since my last one, and I know I need new glasses. Currently, I can either watch TV or look at my monitor, I have to wear my glasses for the TV and I have to remove them to see my computer screen.  I think I'm getting to the bifocal stage.  I actually got a call back from the eye doctor telling me that my last appointment was July 2013, and technically I couldn't see her until next month.

I did a bit of research and from what I can see, in Ontario, there are certain eye conditions that allow for annual eye exams, covered by the provincial health plan. From my personal experience, I fall under the 4th paragraph, under 65 with visual field defects. I provided the optometrist with my neuro-ophthalmologist information to confirm the Visual Field Test results for the past 3 years. Currently I am waiting on a return call from the optometrist to confirm that I do qualify for yearly exams under the OHIP program.

Eye Care Services Covered (Ontario)

People 65 years and older and those younger than 20, are covered by OHIP for a routine eye examination provided by either an optometrist or physician once every 12 months plus any follow-up assessments that may be required.

Specified ophthalmology services for patients of any age with specified medical conditions or diseases affecting the eyes are insured.

Insured persons aged 20 to 64 years with specified medical conditions affecting the eye can receive an OHIP insured regular eye examination once every 12 months.

Insured persons aged 20 to 64 with any of the following conditions can go directly to their optometrist or physician to receive an OHIP insured eye examination: diabetes mellitus, glaucoma, cataract, retinal disease, amblyopia, visual field defects, corneal disease, strabismus, recurrent uveitis or optic pathway disease.

Insured persons aged 20 to 64 who have certain medical conditions not listed above may also be covered for regular eye examinations. They should discuss this with their primary health care provider.

June 12th marked a day of progress for Rachel. We took her for her riding lessons and noticed the horse that she normally has her lessons on was already being ridden and the other 2 were not in sight. Well, Krystal accused me of squealing, but when they took Rachel to the paddock to get her horse for the lesson, she came back to the barn leading Patch! I will admit I have been waiting for this day. Patch is an adorable little guy with a big attitude. I can't say for sure if he is a pony or a miniature horse, I know there are differences but I don't know enough to state which he is. He does have the attitude of a full size horse though. I have seen him challenging the bigger and older horses in the paddocks, and showing that he is the boss.  He does require more direction from Rachel than the earlier horses she has ridden, but they wouldn't have put her on him for her lesson if she wasn't ready. 

Rachel on Patch

Southern Cross Equestrian Academy

Talking of being ready and growing up too fast! Wednesday, June 17, 2015 marked Rachel's graduation from senior kindergarten! Where has the time gone? It's so hard to believe that she is already entering the primary grades at school.

Rachel - September 2013
First day of JK

Mummy Rachel and Daddy

SK Graduation 2015

2015 - Final Catching up Post

Wow! Quite the journey so far, and it's still not complete!

This is a big post, especially when you consider it contains happenings from January to May 2015. My posts after this will be more frequent, typically recording events as they occur.

The new year started out with the usual pattern for me. January was rather uneventful. I had the usual headaches but no swooshing noises.

February once again had me heading to Hamilton for follow up appointments with the Bariatric Clinic (another 10 pounds gone) and a routine MRI. While at my bariatric appointment, we discussed further the addition of a daily injection to my routine. Victoza was the medication in question, currently a diabetic drug that is in process for approval in weight loss purposes.

Victoza: Liraglutide, an injection treatment already approved for diabetes treatment, can help reduce body weight in people with obesity when used at a higher dose than is usually used in diabetes. Health Day Article

I was provided with a prescription for a 1 month supply with the instructions to inject 0.6mg daily until my next visit to the clinic. The first 48 hours following my first injection were not pleasant at all, I couldn't move without becoming sick. The nausea and vomiting gradually eased and I was able to consider food.  It's no wonder this medication helps with weight loss, if everyone becomes as sick as I did while taking it, their ability to eat becomes greatly reduced.  For the first week, the most I could tolerate was simple food, toasted English muffin, chicken noodle soup, and salted crackers.

Valentine's Day - Roses and dinner from Robert! We headed to one of our favourite places, The Golf Steakhouse in Kitchener, while Rachel spent a couple hours visiting her Grandma and Aunt. I had my usual prime rib dinner and found myself barely able to eat it. Of course, the meal includes an amazing salad bar and soup so I ended up taking the main portion of my meal home for the next day. First time I've ever walked out of that restaurant with a doggie bag!

March 5 was my next follow up with the bariatric clinic. We discussed my tolerance of Victoza and I was advised that I seemed to be doing better than many on the drug. My weight loss was continuing at an acceptable level and I was provided with a 3 month prescription with the instructions to continue the dosage of 1.2 for a month then to increase to 1.8mg.

March 9th was my follow up with Dr. Rodriguez.  My eyesight has remained stable.

I met with Dr. Khalidi on March 24.  As we discussed my current medical situation, it was decided that a sleep study would be a good course of action. My symptoms of headache, nausea, and vomiting were ongoing, I advised him of my use of Victoza and my ongoing weight loss.

I held off increasing my dose of Victoza until after my sleep study which was Friday April 10th. It wasn't too bad considering I typically have a lot of difficulty in falling asleep. I was of course advised to not consume any caffeine after 6pm.  I arrived at the hospital where the study was to be done for 8pm. By about 8:30 I was wired up and left to relax.  I had my e-reader with me, so spent the evening reading and waiting for bed time. I had a control pad that was placed on the bed beside me when I was ready to sleep. I settled in for the night about 11:30 or so as they had to get the study started. Falling asleep was my usual pattern, I had trouble, so I continued to read until I eventually drifted off. At one point during the night, I was awakened when the nurse came in to turn on the room fan, apparently I was breaking out into night sweats. I haven't received my results yet, expect they will be available at my next appointment with Dr. Khalidi.

All wired up for sleep study

Typically, I was making medication changes on Sunday, this time, we decided I would increase my dose on Saturday so hopefully the side effects would have tapered off in time for me to walk Rachel to and from school on Monday. Well, that didn't happen, increasing the dosage once more seemed to exceed my limits. The side effect of vomiting and nausea went far beyond the day or 2 I had anticipated.

I could do nothing more than lay down, even that resulted in getting sick if I happened to roll over or move too quickly. Rob ended up having to leave work, drop Rachel off with me at home and head back to work. I couldn't summon the strength to walk across the street to her school.  Other side effects continued to occur as well, especially heart burn and indigestion. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't do much of anything.

I did achieve one goal though! April 11th I weighed myself and discovered that I had reached my first major weight loss milestone.  100 pounds gone from my worst weight to my current weight.

Comparison of highest weight to current

April 29th, my headaches were bad, but I knew it wasn't increased pressure, I didn't have any swooshing noises in my head and rather than the outward pressure from being too full, my head felt as it if were squeezed in a vice, the only relief I got from the headache was to resort to my heat packs and stay laying down. Sitting upright for too long just made things worse and increased the nausea and vomiting exponentially. I tried stopping ibuprofen knowing it can increase stomach issues, but that made the pain even more intolerable. Antacids did nothing to control the burning and I was having difficult keeping even water down which had the potential for dehydration adding onto the current problems.

Given my experiences in 2008 when everything started up, I had come to distrust finding satisfactory results from a trip to the emergency department. Robert was getting concerned because I was in worse shape than normal, so he made a call to Dr. Klurfan. When he received no answer and discovered her voice mail was full, we decided waiting was out of the question. It was time to visit the ER. The first decision we faced was if we should go to the local hospital, or make the drive to Hamilton.

Hamilton ended up being the choice we made.  My records from the past 3 years would be readily available through Hamilton Health Sciences and provide a history for the doctors, a resource the local hospital wouldn't have, virtually putting me back at square one. I wasn't too long waiting to get into the emergency room, they were busy and low on bed space but they were able to find an overflow spot for me.  It wasn't long before I saw the ER doctor and she got me started on an IV for pain with Ondansetron added for the nausea. A neurology consult was brought in and after reviewing my history the decision was made to admit me in order to determine if my shunts were failing or if there was something else going on.

I spent the night in the ER then was moved to the Clinical Neurosurgical Unit. On the 30th, doctors decided that we could be looking at a shunt revision being required and I was made NPO in anticipation of surgery. I had elevated white blood counts, reflective of possible infection and a specialist from Infectious Diseases was brought in for consultation.

NPO: Nil per os (alternatively nihil/non/nulla per os) (npo or NPO) is a medical instruction meaning to withhold oral food and fluids from a patient for various reasons. It is a Latin phrase whose usual English expansion is nothing by mouth (most literally, "nothing through the mouth"). Variants include nil by mouth (NBM).

An infectious disease (ID) specialist is a doctor of internal medicine (or, in some cases, pediatrics) who is qualified as an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. After seven or more years of medical school and postgraduate training, ID specialists complete two to three years of additional training in infectious diseases.

ID specialists have expertise in infections of the sinuses, heart, brain, lungs, urinary tract, bowel, bones and pelvic organs. Their extensive training focuses on all kinds of infections, including those caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

Dilaudid (hydromorphone) is an opioid pain medication. An opioid is sometimes called a narcotic. Dilaudid is used to treat moderate to severe pain.

Abdominal ultrasound and shunt x-ray series were ordered to verify no physical or technical issues were resulting from the drainage catheter in my stomach. I continued to receive Dilaudid and was placed on an alternating schedule of Ondansetron and Gravol to control the nausea and vomiting.

For the first 3 days I was NPO for most of the day as there was still a possibility of a shunt revision being done. Ironically, the NPO orders were reversed after dinner had been served on the ward. By this time I was finding the thought of food a little more appealing thanks to the anti-nausea medication.

May 2nd I saw one of the neurology residents and was advised that an LP would be done later that day. I didn't actually get the LP done until the next morning. The doctor came in around 3 am to say she was having a busy night and would be in to see me in the morning to do the spinal tap.

The tap on May 3rd didn't go well for me. It was performed at the bedside by the resident.  She had difficulty getting the catheter into the proper space and it took 3 attempts including having another resident come in to assist.

Shortly after 10am I sent a message to Rob, letting him know that my LP came back with a very low pressure reading (13, which agreed with the symptoms that prompted me to visit the ER in the first place) and the doctors had decided to tie off the left side shunt and send me home.

That afternoon I was moved into the procedure room to have my shunt tied. I did have some concern about the success of the procedure based on my experience with having the right side tied off only to be reversed a week later. Previously, the tie off procedure was quick and relatively painless, I expected the same this time. I quickly found out I was wrong!

After freezing, an incision was made at my collar bone on the left side and the resident proceeded to search for the tubing in order to place a couple sutures around it. This took longer than he anticipated and I could feel the freezing wearing off and could feel tearing sensations as he probed for the tube. Freezing was re-applied 4 times before the resident decided that he would close off the incision and start again. I recall him going through 4 changes of gowns and gloves, something I don't believe to be typical during a procedure, but I guess he felt it was necessary, or perhaps just needed to cool down before proceeding.  Additional pain and the resulting nausea required more medication added to my IV. By this point, I had reached my limitations, I was not tolerating the procedure well and found myself shaking and in tears, an unusual reaction for me given what I had learned to put up with over the past 7 years.

May 3rd
Incision at collarbone for shunt procedure

A second site was prepared and a small incision made on my neck below my ear. The tubing was located relatively quickly this time, but I experienced a lot of pain that seemed to be nerve related. When the tubing was shifted to allow for the tie to be placed I felt burning sensations along the top of my ear and felt as though my hair was being pulled out by the roots. After a few minutes of this, the ties were placed and the resident closed the incision with steri-strips.

 We celebrated Rob's birthday with my return home. My sister, Mandee stayed with us for a few days to help out with Rachel and look after meals while I was recovering.

I received a call booking a CT scan and follow up with the Ambulatory Neuroscience clinic for June 18th.

Mother's Day - Rachel presented me with a project she had made at school. It really hits home just how my daughter perceives my illness, and that Rachel has never known me to be 100% well.  I have been lucky, she really does her best to help out around the house and helps care for me when I'm having a bad day.

Front

Rear of Rachel's Mother's Day gift
Thanks Krystal for the added coffee inspired decoration ;-)

My headache eased a bit shortly after having the shunt tied but I soon found myself experiencing occasional swooshing noises. I continued to experience nausea and vomiting and the resulting weaknesses right up until May 15th. The previous day I made the decision to stop taking Victoza to see if it was adding to my symptoms.

On the 15th I had my sutures removed from my incision. On the 16th we had a gathering of family in a combination celebration of Rob's Birthday, Mother's Day, and my upcoming birthday.  It was also a day for my mother and Krystal to relax and enjoy the quite time following a busy tax season. I have to confess that perhaps once again Rob was right, and the Victoza was contributing to the nausea. Within 2 days of stopping the injection, my nausea had eased drastically and I was able to enjoy a prime rib dinner.

May 15
Sutures out

2011 - Not much change

My headaches continued to persist on a daily basis with no resolution in sight. I had repeated follow ups with Dr Harvey, and it was his opinion that I would have to learn to live with the headaches as he could see no reason for them. His primary concern was continuing to monitor my double vision and ensure that there was no re-occurrence of the pseudotumour.

Inactivity due to the headaches did contribute to a slow increase in weight, but I was finding it more difficult to keep active beyond caring for a toddler. 

Not so flattering - August 2011 approximately

In June, Rachel became an escape artist, climbing out of her crib, so we moved her to a toddler bed for safety reasons. 

Rachel testing out the new toddler bed

In October, I did begin to notice occasional white-outs of my vision when changing position, especially if I bent forward to pick something up. I didn't think too much of it at the time at least I didn't think it was worth an extra trip to Hamilton when I had an appointment coming up in the new year. I did manage to lose about 30 lbs of the weight I had gained but with the hypothyroid condition, weight loss is not easy. 

Rachel's 2nd Birthday

Rob got a new job in Brantford and after commuting for a bit, we decided that it would be better to relocate our family before winter made the commute more dangerous. We moved December 1, 2011.

In Memory ~ Coco (1996- 2010)

2010 started out poorly for me not only medically but also emotionally. 

Coco (sitting up) and his sister Mokka

Coco was born August 14, 1996 and I was there to help him into the world as I also owned his mother Bubbles.  At 5 weeks of age, Coco was involved in an accident while playing with his father, resulting in an artificial cleft palate. This prevented him from being sold to his potential owners and instead he remained with my family his entire life which actually was a number of years longer than originally anticipated.

He was operated on at 9 months after getting his weight over 4lbs.  The vet attempted a closure of the palate, but by the time the surgery was performed, he had already learned to keep the opening between  his palate and his nose cleared. This meant that he also managed to clear the sutures that the vet had placed.  The end result was a reduction in the size, but a permanent hole remained in the roof of his mouth.

His disabilities didn't stop him though. Coco was a saucy and demanding little pup, earning himself the nickname "Little $hit".  If his food or water dish were empty and he wanted them filled, he would pick up his dish and toss it around until you filled it.  If he wanted attention and wasn't getting it immediately, he would make all kinds of noises, chattering and whining at you until you picked him up or made room on your lap.

Coco liked to steal things!
The soother belonged to a relatives son, picture taken in 1998

Coco and Rachel

When Rachel was born, he became her protector. If she was on a blanket on the floor, he was right there next to her. At times though, he did display a bit of jealousy. I remember a few times when Rachel would be snuggled up next to me and he would be standing on her pawing at the blankets trying to get in with us.  It was a good thing he never weighed over 5 lbs with the exception of preparing for his surgery.

In the picture here, he's actually a lot of fur, as he got older, it became more difficult to keep him trimmed down as it created additional stress on his breathing.  We believe the vibrations of the clippers created some problems with vibration in his palate.

On the morning of January 11th, 2010 we woke up to what we believed was Coco in the midst of a seizure.  Once again, we were faced with the difficult decision of having to say good-bye to a well loved family member.  He was also 14 years old.  Another loved boy gone but never forgotten. 

2009 - Lots of good and bad

January - I got a little good news, my thyroid levels had returned to normal range with the help of medication.  The bad news, I would be on thyroid medication for the rest of my life. Diagnosis was Hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the body lacks sufficient thyroid hormone. Since the main purpose of thyroid hormone is to "run the body's metabolism," it is understandable that people with this condition will have symptoms associated with a slow metabolism. 

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
• Coarse, dry hair
• Dry, rough pale skin 
• Hair loss
• Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
• Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
• Constipation
• Depression
• Irritability
• Memory loss
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Decreased libido

February and March continued pretty much as 2008. 

Constant 24/7 headaches with little to no relief. Towards the end of March I noted a marked increase in nausea and vomiting which I associated with the pain levels and a few new symptoms which seemed to be all part of the Hypothyroid issues. 

Rob's sister Amanda and her husband Steph welcomed the birth of my adorable nephew Ethan on March 7th. On March 30th, I did some mental math, added up some of the newer symptoms and while joking around with my sister Mandee about pregnancy decided a stop at the pharmacy was in order. Took the test the next morning, ironically, April 1st. Double line/positive results before the time to even check had passed. Followed up with family physician who confirmed that Rob and I were expecting! I was 38, soon to be 39 and honestly didn't think it was even possible.

Fertility and Hypothyroidism: If you know you have an under-active thyroid gland, talk to your doctor about having a baby. Your doctor will want to check your thyroid levels and make sure they are right before you start trying to conceive. If your levels are too low, you have hypothyroidism and may not be ovulating as you should. Taking the right dose of thyroxine, the hormone you lack, can restore your fertility.  

We told our families of the news in April and also contacted my Neurologist who immediately stopped all medication. The only medication I was allowed at this point was my thyroid medication, acetaminophen, Gravol and the occasional ibuprofen. This had the obvious effects of not being able to control the pain levels, resulting in increased nausea. I found myself spending more and more time in bed, between pain and weakness I wasn't able to do much. 

In May, I had my first visit with Dr. Giammarco in Hamilton ON. Her tentative diagnosis was New Daily Persistent Headache. A relatively new condition first described in 1986. However, further testing and diagnosis had to be put on hold until after the baby was born. Advised minimal use of over the counter analgesics and to get through the following months as best as I could, and to set up an appointment shortly after the baby was born. An MRI was scheduled for November as my due date was October 21st. The doctor did mention that with luck, pregnancy hormones could counteract and effectively cure the headaches and no further treatment would be required. 

New daily persistent headache (NDPH) is a chronic headache developing in a person who does not have a past history of headaches. The headache begins acutely and reaches its peak within 3 days. 

When I had Krystal, gender reveal wasn't a big thing, and considering this was Rob's first child, the anticipation of waiting for the delivery to find out if we had a son or daughter added to the excitement. Of course, our families (well his side more than mine), wanted to know, but we held firm, going with the tradition of selecting both a name for a boy and one for a girl. We decorated the baby's room with yellows and greens. 

Baby's Room all set up

Quilt belonging to Daddy when he was a baby

Things continued pretty normally (for me at least) until September. Rob had returned to school for his final year of Software Engineering Technology and I spent my days as best as I could. Resting, keeping to a darkened room, eating when I could. Mid September, I started experiencing contractions. Went into the hospital and ended up spending a couple days there hoping to hold off delivery for another month. I was given an injection to help mature the baby's lungs just in case, and sent home.

October 23, around 3 am, I called Rob home from an all night project session in order to head to the hospital. As my due date had passed, was told I wouldn't be leaving until the baby had arrived. Fortunately, Rob had some understanding professors who gave him (and his thankful team members) deadline extensions.

Getting some rest before the big event

I was in labour 16 hours, and was given an epidural which actually wore off partway through and had to be repeated. I didn't spend much time actually pushing, seems like once we got to that point things went pretty quick for me, and though my headache was along for the ride, at this point it was the least of my concerns.  

Still waiting

When the baby was born, we were happy to find out that we had another daughter! Rachel Josephine, born at 7:20 pm, weighing 7 lbs 11 oz, 20 inches long. I still remember Rob making the phone call to let his mother know she had a granddaughter, there was no way she was believing him, I had to confirm that she had her first female grandchild. (more below images)

Rachel Josephine Bray, Posing for her first photo shoot at 10 minutes old 

Meeting Mummy face to face finally!

Aunt Mandee and Big sister Krystal

Meeting Daddy!

Now that the baby had arrived, I was back on course for trying to determine the cause of my headaches (which didn't resolve with pregnancy) and hopefully get some relief. My MRI had been booked for November when I saw Dr. Giammarco back in May.  Contrast dye was used to ensure the best results.  After the results had been examined, I received a call advising me that I was being given yet another referral.  I was scheduled to go to the Eye Clinic at St Joe's Hospital in Hamilton in January.